Fox News achieves its best ratings in a non-election year.

Fox News Posts Record Ratings in 2025

Final figures from Nielsen Media Research indicate that 2025 was the most successful year ever for Fox News Channel in terms of viewership during a non-election year. This suggests that many Americans continued to depend on the network for important news and analysis.

For the tenth consecutive year, Fox News led all cable networks, achieving the second-highest ratings overall in its history. The show “The Five,” which includes hosts like Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld, again emerged as the most-viewed program in cable news, even surpassing “CBS Evening News” in viewership.

The CEO of Fox News Media, Suzanne Scott, commented on the milestone, expressing pride in their team’s achievements. She highlighted that the network’s ability to reach audiences across various platforms reflects its strong brand and commitment to journalism.

Award Recognition

Trey Yingst from Fox News was honored with the Excellence in Foreign Reporting Award for 2025.

In terms of overall viewership, Fox News averaged around 1.7 million daily viewers, far ahead of ESPN, which had 790,000 viewers, and competitors like MS NOW and CNN, which lagged significantly behind.

During prime time, Fox achieved an impressive 2.7 million viewers, solidifying its top position in cable news. Comparatively, ESPN attracted about 2 million viewers. The network’s total daytime and prime-time viewership share was the strongest it has ever recorded since its founding in 1996.

Furthermore, Fox News significantly outperformed competitors in the coveted adults 25-54 demographic, with an average of 180,000 viewers compared to CNN’s 70,000 and MS NOW’s mere 48,000. In prime time, Fox averaged 278,000 in this demographic, leaving CNN at just 102,000, marking one of CNN’s weakest performances historically.

Additional Performance Highlights

The challenges faced by MS NOW were evident, as it struggled with just 80,000 viewer averages in the prime-time demographic, falling behind various other cable options. This marked a low point for MS NOW since its inception.

While Fox News saw an increase in viewership year-over-year, CNN and MS NOW experienced declines. Interestingly, Fox emerged as the fastest-growing network across all television platforms.

“The Five,” “Jesse Watters Primetime,” and “Hannity” led the charge, with numerous shows topping the charts in total viewership.

Continued Success in Morning and Weekend Programming

“Fox & Friends” maintained its status as the highest-rated morning show for an impressive 25 years, averaging 1.4 million viewers. In the weekend slots, shows like “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo” also garnered millions, demonstrating Fox’s continued dominance.

On YouTube, Fox News achieved a remarkable 4.3 billion video views, marking a 57% increase compared to the previous year and setting a record in viewership for the platform.